This years chestnut crop

[9x56MS]

Gonna be a good crop here in central NY this year.

 

[g squared 23]

How many years in are you and how many years did it take to get nuts? I’m 2nd leaf and these things aren’t doing anything.


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[yoderjac]

My trees have been slow. We I started growing trees from nuts and our first year of planting was 2013. We've have some production over the last few years but nothing significant. This year, we are finally starting to see significant production from some of the trees. There are still some that have not produced. My trees are similar to those 9x56MS shows in his pics.

So, in my case, the trees are about 11 years before having significant production. It should only get better from here.

 

[9x56MS]

9 years in and started getting nuts their 6th year. I have been fertilizing them with fruit tree spikes the last 4 years.

 

[yoderjac]

9 years in and started getting nuts their 6th year. I have been fertilizing them with fruit tree spikes the last 4 years.

Mine have had no care since they were planted and protected with tree tubes.

 

[g squared 23]

That’s looking awesome man. It seems like, from limited personal experience, that chestnuts and persimmons are an 8-10 year investment before they produce, oaks 10-15+, apples 4–6, and pears never produce anything significant (or at least for 7 years).


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[yoderjac]

That’s looking awesome man. It seems like, from limited personal experience, that chestnuts and persimmons are an 8-10 year investment before they produce, oaks 10-15+, apples 4–6, and pears never produce anything significant (or at least for 7 years).


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Without care (fertilizing and pruning) apples and pears will take much longer and will likely have poor production. Chestnuts and Persimmons need no care to produce well. The best "bang for the buck" with trees for me has been bark grafting native American persimmons when they are about 1" in diameter. Success rates are high and they often produce the first persimmons in the 2nd leaf. It only takes a few years more for the production to become significant.

 

[9x56MS]

Update same tree sagging to within 18” of the ground. I didn’t realize how supple the limbs are. My apple and pear trees are all sagging also.

 

[yoderjac]

View attachment 28499Update same tree sagging to within 18” of the ground. I didn’t realize how supple the limbs are. My apple and pear trees are all sagging also.

Very cool and very heavy crop for a tree that size!

 

[9x56MS]

I am starting to fear the branches may break should I prop the up?

 

[yoderjac]

I am starting to fear the branches may break should I prop the up?View attachment 28570

What a great problem to have!

 

[9x56MS]

The fruits of our labor. The nut cases started opening this weekend.

 

[yoderjac]

This is probably the first year we have had significant volume of nuts. I was at the farm the other day and the ground under the trees is littered with nuts and there are still plenty on the trees. I don't think our deer have figured them just yet, but I'm sure they will soon. It took me about 2 minutes to collect 36 nuts yesterday. Most were still inside the spiny husks which is what took so long. Perhaps the deer are waiting for the husks to open more for easier access. I'd say about 10% of the casing were brown and fully opened and 90% were still green and just open enough you could pull out the nuts with your fingers.

I don't know if I'll have time next year, but I went ahead and put them in the crisper. If I have time, I may direct seed some of them.

 

[9x56MS]

This is probably the first year we have had significant volume of nuts. I was at the farm the other day and the ground under the trees is littered with nuts and there are still plenty on the trees. I don't think our deer have figured them just yet, but I'm sure they will soon. It took me about 2 minutes to collect 36 nuts yesterday. Most were still inside the spiny husks which is what took so long. Perhaps the deer are waiting for the husks to open more for easier access. I'd say about 10% of the casing were brown and fully opened and 90% were still green and just open enough you could pull out the nuts with your fingers.

I don't know if I'll have time next year, but I went ahead and put them in the crisper. If I have time, I may direct seed some of them.

This is also our first heavy crop of nuts last year the nuts were much smaller.

 

[yoderjac]

This is also our first heavy crop of nuts last year the nuts were much smaller.

I'd say that most of the nuts I picked up were about the size of the nuts in the picture.

 

[Native Hunter]

This is also our first heavy crop of nuts last year the nuts were much smaller.

Most of my trees make nuts about the same size as yours. This one tree is an exception. Every year the nuts are very large.

 

[yoderjac]

It didn't take the game long to find the chestnuts. I was out at the farm yesterday and drove to the same tree. Most of the husks on the ground now are brown and open wide. Lots of empties now. I did pick up another 25 nuts.

 

[9x56MS]

I have squirrels in and out of mine all day and deer under them at night.

 

[RGrizzzz]

Last year at our camp the critters didn't bother th chestnuts much. Sometime when we were at camp over the weekend, a bear climbed our best producing tree and did a fair amount of damage.

 

[9x56MS]

Looks like I may have lost one of my chestnut trees to first winter snow. It still held its leaves which collected more of this heavy wet 7” of snow.